Let’s talk about emergency food basics.
Disaster preparedness doesn’t necessarily mean you need a bunker below your home that resembles a full service store stocked with every imaginable food you could need. Do some preppers have that? Sure. But the majority of people that are looking to be adequately prepared for an unexpected emergency need just the basics that cover the first 3 days and a backup supply that covers a minimum of 2 weeks.
72 Hour & 2 week Emergency Food:
A disaster situation happens in a matter of minutes and we should be prepared for modern conveniences coming to a quick halt. Things like electricity, phone lines, cell phone towers, internet, water lines, gas lines, roadways, etc, etc….often go down and it can take several hours – days – to a couple of weeks (sometimes even more) – for services to be fixed and working again.
We’re going to make several suggestions for emergency food in a moment, but please analyze your individual situation to ensure you have exactly what you would need in an emergency situation. Ask yourself:
- How many people are in your family or who would you need to supply enough emergency food for?
- Do you or someone in your family have special dietary needs?
- Do you have a baby you’ll need to stock special items for? Baby food, formula (diapers) etc
- Do you have pets you need to also provide for?
And based off those questions, make special arrangements if needed.
First and foremost – store enough water for everyone in your household. A good rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per person – per day. If you only plan to store enough food for 72 hour preparation, you’ll need 3 gallons for you and 3 gallons per person in your household. Sealed gallons of water in a plastic container go for about .48 cents to 1 dollar a piece at a grocery store. A small investment for your survival security.
Emergency foods can be done two ways. You can purchase pre-packaged meals, protein bars, dehydrated foods, etc that are individually contained and have a very long shelf live (meaning they don’t have to be changed out very often)
We are a fan of Mountain House Best Sellers Emergency Kit 
Especially in the first 72 hours after a crisis has happened, you want the least amount of worry possible and these meals are made with water and can be eaten directly out of the pouch.
They are also extremely light and are great in an emergency kit for portability.
Another great example is the MRE (Meals, Ready to Eat) – Two Course Fresh MREs with Heaters – 5 Year Shelf Life (Pack of 6)
Visit any store that stocks emergency food or backpacker/hiker foods, and you’ll see a large variety of flavors and styles you can choose from. Prepackaged foods take the worry out figuring out all the tiny details and the efforts required to seal and store individual foods.
If you prefer to purchase and store emergency food on a DIY basis look for foods like:
- Dehydrated fruits & veggies
- Canned foods
- Protein bars
- Rice
- Beans
- Jerked meats
- Some nuts can be stored for long term
- Powdered milk
- And so on…
Just be sure to learn proper long term storage with these types of foods. Another consideration is weight. Sometimes during an emergency, you don’t get to stay in the comforts of your home and you need to go to a new location. Having an emergency kit available that is grab and go — and also contains your emergency food is very important.